A pathway of hope

May 18—National Salvation Army Week has been observed for 70 years in the United States, and as the week continues until May 19, the Salvation Army of Wilson County has been celebrating its efforts.

"We are excited to kick off National Salvation Army Week and celebrate the organization's rich history, services, and impact in our community," Sergeant Tom Freeman with the Lebanon Salvation Army said in a press release.

"We want to thank our volunteers, donors and stakeholders for their support throughout the year. Without them, we would not be able to serve those in need and make a difference in our community."

Over the last year, the Salvation Army of Wilson County served 1,606 individuals, served 8,801 meals to people experiencing food insecurity and provided 7,515 Christmas gifts to children through its Angel Tree program.

One program making a difference through the Salvation Army of Wilson County is its "Pathway of Hope" initiative.

"We help low-income families, families that are around the poverty level, break the cycle of poverty and help them build a future that isn't reliant on government benefits and where they're self-sufficient," Pathway of Hope coach Sarah Laeger said.

The program offers personalized coaching sessions where clients will sit down with a coach like Laeger and come up with goals, action plans and action steps to attain those goals.

"They can be as simple or as complicated as they need to be," Laeger said. "It's more about what benefits the client and what direction they want to go in, not the direction that we want them to go in."

At times, Laeger has also been able to help individuals in need if they receive an eviction notice, if the unit has the funding.

"They come to me and they're in distress," Laeger said. "We're not an emergency assistance program, but we are able to help them because it's really hard to set goals and think about your future when, right now, you're facing living in your car with your three kids and you don't know what to do."

Once that situation is sorted out, Laeger will sit down with the client and talk with them about finances.

While the Salvation Army of Wilson County offers daily social net service programs such as food, utility and rent assistance, it also offers educational programs.

A weekly cooking class with the University of Tennessee extension program, where students can learn to make healthy and affordable meals, is currently being offered by the local Salvation Army unit.

"We're partnering with our UT Extension agent in Wilson County," Laeger said. "She comes and she teaches the group cooking skills, health skills, healthy choices. At the end of the class they get to cook a meal together and they get to take groceries home with them, as well as the cooked meal."